The entry into force, on August 15, of a state regulation that will allow the rental of private boats for three months a year has generated a strong crossing of versions between the PSIB, on the one hand, and the Balearic Government and the Popular Party, on the other, about what will happen in the Balearic Islands with this regulation, resisted throughout the archipelago.
What was the PSIB’s unexpected announcement?
The socialist deputy Milena Herrera said Monday that the PSIB has managed to get the Ministry of Transport to exclude the Balearic Islands from the royal decree regulating the rental of private boats. As she explained at a press conference, the measure is part of the negotiations with the Ministry and responds to the “enormous tourist saturation” that affects the archipelago.
Herrera affirmed that the Ministry has expressed its commitment to incorporate a specific regime for territories such as the Balearic Islands before the start of the 2026 tourist season. “We have worked to prevent a regulation designed for the whole state from generating more pressure on our coasts,” he said.
In the same vein, the Socialist spokesman in Parliament, Iago Negueruela, argued that the agreement makes unnecessary the meeting of the Nautical Bureau convened by the Government to address the decree, and urged the Executive of Marga Prohens to focus on issues that do fall within its competence, such as the labor conflict in public transport.
What the Government has said
A few hours after the announcement of the PSIB, sources of the Conselleria del Mar y del Ciclo del Agua denied having knowledge of the alleged agreement. According to them, Herrera’s intervention was the first news they received about a possible exclusion of the state decree.
The regional executive recalled that, in response to state regulations, and issued a resolution to prevent the profitable use of private moorings in ports under regional management, a decision that is in force. In addition, a meeting of the Nautical Sector Bureau is scheduled to address the current situation and define future actions, regardless of the PSIB announcements.
For the time being, no legal provision has been published that modifies the approved text and, according to the Govern, neither has any change been officially reported by the Ministry of Transport.
La Voz de Ibiza consulted the Ministry of Transport to find out about this possible exception announced by the PSIB, but has not yet received an answer.
What the PP has said
For his part, the deputy of the Balearic PP, Sebastià Mesquida, expressed skepticism about the announcement of the Socialists and questioned the reliability of the alleged commitment to the Ministry of Transport. “The reality is that the regulations, published in the BOE, allows from August 15 the rental of private boats also in the Balearic Islands,” he said.
Mesquida accused the PSIB of having reacted late and now trying to “wash the face” of the Government of Sanchez, by announcing an agreement that, he said, does not translate into any current measure. “After weeks of silence, they wake up talking about future commitments, when the regulations are already approved,” he said.
The popular parliamentarian insisted that the only guarantee to stop the saturation of the coast is the action of the Government of Marga Prohens, and not the promises of the central Executive.
Nautical Table and autonomic measures
Meanwhile, the Govern maintains the convening for Tuesday of the Nautical Bureau, which is scheduled to analyze the effects of the new state regulations and consider possible additional measures from the regional level.
In this context, uncertainty remains as to whether the application of the Royal Decree will have an effective impact in the Balearic Islands as of August 15, or whether any regulatory exception will be made before
